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Thursday, September 28, 2006

Brizzi Unhappy With Kennedy Ads

As Democratic prosecutor candidate Melina Kennedy talked about her plan to restructure the prosecutor's office around a community-based prosecuting approach, Prosecutor Carl Brizzi's campaign questioned new ads Kennedy is running to tout her candidacy. The Star's Jon Murray writes:

A plan to be released today by the Democratic candidate for Marion County prosecutor calls for expanding the office's community outreach by linking prosecutors with neighborhoods.

Melina Kennedy, who is challenging Prosecutor Carl Brizzi's bid for re-election, said she would restructure the office's 168 deputy prosecutors into community-based teams. That would expand on Brizzi's community-based prosecution efforts.

"Every prosecutor will know their neighborhood, and every neighborhood will know their prosecutor," Kennedy said.

If her plan sounds familiar, that's because AI first reported on it after Kennedy made an appearance before the Indy Rainbow Chamber earlier this month. The idea actually makes a lot of sense. Murray also reports on Brizzi's campaign being upset about Kennedy lifting the mantra of his campaign "Experience. Tested. Tough":

Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi's campaign ads have been using the mantra "Experienced. Tested. Tough."

Now he says Melina Kennedy stole the words for a new campaign ad that began airing Wednesday on local TV stations.

Brizzi figures those words tout his experience with criminal cases. In Kennedy's new ad, each word flashes on the screen in separate sections as a narrator talks about the Democrat's experience as a lawyer and as Indianapolis' deputy mayor.

The Marion County Republican Party called a news conference Wednesday to protest. It contends the first part, which shows Kennedy questioning a witness on the stand in a staged courtroom case, misleads viewers into thinking Kennedy has tried real cases.

"We're asking her to pull the ad now," said Ryan Vaughn, the county GOP's political director. A Brizzi campaign spokesman supported his call.

Kennedy defended the ad and said the Republicans' charge was false. She may not have tried criminal cases, she said, but she has participated in civil trials.

"I have questioned a witness under oath in front of a judge in court," Kennedy said.

Republicans might jump on Kennedy's defense of her experience, noting that she only claimed to have "questioned a witness . . . in court." Does that mean she's only done it once?

8 comments:

Well, experience does matter. And Melina's experience includes a high level leadership position in a mayors office that has nearly dismantled the community concept in policing. So why the change in heart? Could it be politics? Just maybe?

And some more experience: Melina was a high level leader in an administration that cut the budget for the prosecutors office. But now she's proposing increases? Again, why the change in heart? Could it be politics? Just maybe?

And how about the jail situation? She keeps on criticizing Brizzi for early releases, but as a high level leader in the mayor's office she did nothing to solve the jail overcrowding problem that is the rea cause for nearly all the early releases.

Yes, experience does matter. On the one hand, Melina has NO experience for the job she is seeking. On the other hand, the experience that she COULD have demonstrated in her current job has been spent doing exactly opposite of what she now promises to do.

UniGov is a unique governmental entity. The Mayor does not increase or cut the prosecutor's budget. Each elected officeholder submits a budget to the City-County Council. It gets altered by council committees and then the full council.

Here is one Dem who really doesn't care who wins the prosecutor's race. Large bureaucratic entities, such as the Prosecutor's Office, have hundreds of opportunities to screw up each and every day. And one minor mistake or oversight, can result in murderers put on the street PDQ.

You couldn't give me the job. FOr any amount of money. The deputies are poorly paid because government in this state basically does everything on the cheap.Therefore, deputies go in and out the door so quickly that it's difficult to manage the office.

That being said, it's a little silly for the GOP to call a news conference to demand retractions over one small letter. The letter? "D"

The grammarians among us will see that the graphics on the two adds differ by one letter. By saying "experiece" Melina can call on her life experiences from any activities. Carl's "experienced" fully implies experience in the office he holds.

I'm pretty sure Melina wins any contest of management abilities. But that's only one part of the job.

Undecided tho I am, I have to admire Melina's clever twist and the excitement one lilttle letter can generate.

Lighten up, folks, you'd better pace yourselves or you'll bust a vessel or something. We have 40 days untilthe election. I suspect there's a lot worse nonsense to come--from both candidates--before this is over.

Prosecutors are not policemen. Theneighborhoods, especially the kidsshould see the 200 police officersthat was promised by Bart but nevertook place to help round out perhaps a troubled kid. Case loadsare heavy enough so these prosecutors are needed to prosecute. Wait a minute, Kennedynever worked in a prosecutors office but she feels confident tochange what she doesn't know??????

I find it amazing that the word integrity doesn't seem to matter.Kennedy's ads are misleading to thepublic which says somethig about character. HER ACTIVITIES?????? WENEED PROVEN TRACK RECORDS NOT SOUND-BITES. Since the democrat can't make up her mind, I suggestintegrity as a good place to start.Last, Goldsmith was a trial lawyerwith experience, and the personwho was out on early release wasconvited on misdemeanors not a felony which in turn went to county jail...remember jail overcrowding the city county and mayor ignored. Wake up Dems you'rebeing sold down the river.ignored

Ms.Kennedy's ad I saw over the weekend said Mr. Brizzi "was responsible" for the deaths of the family of 7. Responsible? Her ad was irresponsible. If she can't figure out who is responsible, how can she ever hope to prosecute anyone successfully.Why does she keep giving us so many examples of her lack of experience and now we have to say judgment.

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